Patriots star Christian Gonzalez noncommittal on playing vs Seahawks

A contract dispute between the New England Patriots and star Christian Gonzalez appears as if it could impact the Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL’s season opener.

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When asked by reporters in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on Saturday if he anticipated playing in Wednesday’s game without a new contract, the All-Pro cornerback was noncommittal.

“I’m focused on today,” Gonzalez said via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. “Right now, it is practice in what, a couple 30 minutes, 40 minutes. Worried on that right now, so we’ll focus on that.”

Gonzalez, who has been practicing with the team, also said “I don’t know,” when asked if contract talks were progressing.

A first-round pick in the 2023 draft, Gonzalez has stated his frustrations about his contract situations on multiple occasions in the weeks leading up to the regular season.

The fourth-year defensive back and Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon are both represented by agent Reggie Johnson of WIN Sports Group. Witherspoon, also a first-rounder in 2023, signed a reported four-year, $132 million contract Aug. 17, which made him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. That deal set the market for a new contract for Gonzalez, but he and the Patriots reportedly haven’t come close to a new deal.

“I don’t know think that at any one point here they’ve been close to a deal,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Aug. 27. “… Witherspoon has established the benchmark, and the Patriots haven’t gone there, and they weren’t there before and they don’t appear to be going there right now.”

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